Laughter on the Wind
by Krys33
Summary: Ten year old Lori tells the story of her grandmother's romance. JavaJunkie. One shot.


A/N: This is the much-needed fluff after writing something like 'Comfort'. Just a future piece extremely inspired by csiAngel's story 'Voices on the Wind,' which I loved and found absolutely adorable. This is a bit of a new style for me, so cut me some slack. It's also a decent length, so I know that'll make some people happy!

Don't worry, this story _is _L/L (with my tiny bit of R/M thrown in, just because I could), it just takes a little time to warm up.

Disclaimer: I, sadly, am not affiliated with Gilmore Girls in any way, shape, or form. Fortunately for me, I put some characters of my own into this story. Lori, Megan, Rebecca, and Katie are all mine!

--

Ten-year-old Lori - short for Lorelai - Gilmore returned from the store with her mother and two full grocery bags of junk food. She was now, officially, all prepared for her end-of-the-summer sleepover. Before her mother had the driver's side door open, Lori had already catapulted herself out of the car, through the front door, up the stairs, and into her room.

Rory Gilmore chuckled at her daughter's antics. She remembered being ten. Grabbing the bags out of the trunk, she headed inside after Lori. She shut the door behind her with her foot. "We're home!" Rory's voice echoed through the foyer.

Her husband Marty, remembering the thundering footsteps of his daughter just seconds ago, laughed. "I heard."

--

Just as Lori finished setting up her bedroom, the first of her three guests arrived. Her father attempted to answer the door before she rushed down the stairs and nearly shoved him out of the way. She pulled the door open and let in her good friend Megan. Not long after that, her other two visitors, Rebecca and Katie, showed up.

At the start of the evening, they watched a few movies – classics, chosen by her mother – while eating pizza. After the pizza became cold and the third movie's credits rolled across the screen, the girls rushed up the stairs, leaving a room full of garbage behind them.

A few rounds of Truth or Dare later, once they'd all discovered each other's secret crushes and worst enemies, Megan, Rebecca, and Katie began pestering Lori to tell 'The Story'.

When the summer began, Lori had promised her three best friends that she would tell them 'The Story'. Her mother had told it to her a few years back. And again, on the same day each following year until now. 'The Story' was the tale of her grandparents – on her mom's side. As preteens (they preferred preteen to child), they were entranced by love stories ever since they'd seen Cinderella at age four. They were very eager to hear one that was real.

Lori hushed them. "We have to wait." She knew they would have to sneak out to the gazebo and be there at the right time for the full effect.

The girls went through some more gossiping: who was with whom and what was written on the bathroom stalls this week. Once Lori's digital clock hit 10:10, she whispered emphatically, "It's time!"

They tiptoed down the stairs, avoiding the creaky ones the best they could and trying not to laugh _too _loud when Rebecca tripped and nearly fell on her face. Shutting the door softly behind them, Katie, Megan, and Rebecca followed Lori's lead to the town square.

Back in the house, Rory and Marty were sitting up in their bed. As much as they had tried to be quiet, the girls had truly made a racket leaving the house. Rory looked over at Marty and smiled.

They both knew where the kids were headed.

--

Lori instructed her friends to sit on the steps of the gazebo, as to not intrude on the magic that lay within. Once they were all situated, she began her story.

"Years ago, a sixteen-year-old girl came here with a baby on her hip and nowhere to go." Lori repeated the story word-for-word.

"A baby at 16?" The girls were shocked. Lori just nodded and continued on with her story.

"She was a maid in an inn, living in a potting shed and barely scraping by. After years of tedious work, making beds and vacuuming floors, she finally bought a house of her own. Finally being able to have more of her own time, she went into the town diner."

"Where is that?" Her friends were confused. What diner?

"Right there." Lori pointed across the square to the run-down, abandoned store front, still sporting the 'William's Hardware' sign. "And she met the owner. The woman wanted to be served, and the man became annoyed, trying to help those who were there first. She asked for his birthday, and after some annoying, he told her. So she pulled out a newspaper, grabbed a pen from her purse and wrote something down." At this, the girls leaned in, wanted to know what happened next. "She tore it out and slid it across the counter." Lori drew out the moment as much as she could, enjoying the attention.

"What did it say?" Katie finally exclaimed.

"It said 'You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away.'"

"Did he give her coffee?"

Lori nodded. "But she didn't go away. And after that, they became friends. Then, eight years later-"

"Eight years?" Megan and Katie spoke in unison.

"Eight years." Lori confirmed. "Eight years later, he finally asked her out. And a week later, they kissed. It all went uphill from there. Until…" She was milking the moment again.

"Until what?"

"Until the girls old boyfriend showed up. The father of her daughter. And then, they broke up."

The girls' eyes widened. This was the love story they'd been waiting for?

Lori saw their shocked reaction and hurriedly continued. "_But_, after weeks of fighting and silence and tears, they were back together again."

There was a quiet sigh of relief from the group. Lori checked her watch, making sure her story would finish before _the moment_. "And awhile later, she asked him to marry her."

"_She_ asked _him_?" Her friends were surprised.

Lori gave a vehement nod. "She did."

"What did he say?"

"He said yes. And after a year of hard times and a tough engagement, they got married. Right here." Lori gestured with her arms at the gazebo. "But-"

At the mention of this word, the girls each took a sharp breath. Lori continued. "After seven years of marriage, he came down with cancer. It ran in his family. And she took care of him the best she could, but after only a few months, he died." The girls' were held in suspense. "Soon after that, she became sick, too. Heartache, my mom said. And exactly a year after he died, she passed away." Her friends let out a deep breath. They found this to be… bittersweet.

"As the story goes," Lori grinned. This was the good part. "Every year, on their wedding anniversary, around this time, you can hear their laughter, floating on the wind."

The girls quieted. They heard nothing. All three turned to Lori quizzically. She raised her eyebrows at them. "Be patient!"

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the wind began to pick up. As the girls tightened their light summer jackets around them, they heard it. A woman's loud, ringing giggles combined with a man's more deep, throaty laugh. Lori looked at her wide-eyed friends, knowing that the first time she'd experience this, she'd probably had the same look on her face.

Just as they stepped off of the gazebo steps, Lori turned back, whispering quietly,

"Happy anniversary."

--

The End

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